Springfield, Massachusetts …American Hockey League today announced Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Jani Niemann has been selected as Howies Hockey Video/AHL Player of the Week For the period ending January 18, 2026.
In four games last week, Niemann scored six goals, totaled seven points and posted a +7 rating, helping the Firebirds to their longest winning streak of the season.
Niemann scored twice in the third period against Texas State on Tuesday to help Coachella Valley rally from a two-goal deficit to beat the Stars 5-2, and he added two more goals in Wednesday's rematch to help the Firebirds win 6-3. Niemann scored his third consecutive double-goal and his second game-winning goal of the week in a 4-0 victory over the Seagulls on Saturday in San Diego, and he added an assist in a 3-0 victory over Abbotsford on Sunday to end the week, the Firebirds' fifth straight win.
Niemann has seven goals and two assists for nine points in nine games since joining the Firebirds from Seattle. At the start of the season, he played 24 NHL games for parent company Kraken, scoring 4 goals and 2 assists. A second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Niemann scored 28 goals and 44 points in 58 games with Coachella Valley in 2024-25 as a rookie while recording six points (3g, 3a) in 12 NHL games. The 21-year-old Valkaikoski, Finland, native also represented the Firebirds in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic.
